Beauty and the Beast
by Tsark
Summary: A retelling of Beauty and the Beast where the beast is a woman with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome


**Beauty and the Beast**

Once upon a time, there lived a merchant who had three children.

The eldest daughter was a lovely creature, fair of face and sharp of wit, while her sister was just as lovely and twice as clever.

Neither of these girls could compare with their little brother however, whose soft features and sweet smile earned him the name, Beauty.

Beauty was a sweet child. The youngest in the family, he was doted on by the entire village, who were charmed by his looks.

The attentions he received from the village maidens were often forthright to the point of aggression. As a result, Beauty was a quiet, introverted boy, but remained sweet mannered and courteous.

One day, the merchant was asked to inspect a shipload of spices and silks that had come in for one of his business associates.

"Well my children," he said, gathering the three of them around. "It appears I'm to be gone for no less than three days, pray tell me. What should I bring for you on my return?"

The first daughter immediately cried out "New jewellery!" Clapping her hands eagerly.

The second daughter danced in place and called "A beautiful new dress made of silk!"

"And you Beauty?" The merchant asked, smiling indulgently. "What would you like?"

"Oh father, I have heard the local girls speaking of various flowers they should like to receive from a gentleman. The most sought after is a plant that does not grow here, called a rose."

The merchant was a little surprised, as it was an easily obtained plant and by no means an expensive gift. "You wish for a rose my boy? Could it be you have finally found a girl you wish to gift with a token of your affections?"

Beauty shuffled his feet a little. "Not yet father, but I would like to know what such a flower looks like, so I'll know the best token I can give to the most deserving lady."

The merchant felt his heart would burst with pride and love for his son. He kissed each of his three children goodbye, then set off for the docks, his mind racing with thoughts of the three gifts.

When his business was concluded, the merchant wandered the local markets and gathered a dress, shoes and hat for the younger daughter, as well as a matching jewellery set made of tiny fish wrought in silver for his eldest daughter.

Unfortunately, he was unable to find a gift for Beauty. No matter where he went, no one could give him a rose as there had been blight on many of the rose farms this year.

Dispirited, the merchant bought a golden box with a rose carved into it for his son and made his way home.

Unfortunately, a storm had followed the ship into the docks and soon set its sights on the merchant. Harrying him with wind and rain that stung his eyes, he was herded off course to a strange forest he hadn't seen when travelling towards the docks.

As soon as he realised his error, he tried to turn back the way he'd come, but the forest had shifted and twisted behind him, causing him to head deeper among the trees.

He rode for hours until he grew very afraid that he would come upon a pack of wolves or worse. His thoughts turned to his children and whether he would ever see them again. As he thought this, he came upon a huge castle.

He was astonished, no one had mentioned a local lord and yet here was a building that looked no less than a palace to his eyes.

The merchant urged his horse forward through the gates and into the courtyard. Almost immediately he spotted a stable door standing open, with a fresh bed of straw and feed buckets standing full and awaiting attention. From within, the merchant could smell something delicious.

After calling for anyone nearby and receiving no reply, he led his tired horse to the stable and rubbed him down, before entering the doorway of the castle and following his nose to a sumptuous banquet set out on a long table, with a seat pulled out ready to admit someone coming from the same door he had just entered.

Still no one answered the merchant's cries, so he set to the meal and promised himself he would pay back the castle owner as soon as he appeared.

By the time he was done, the sky was starting to grow dark and shadows were creeping in from the corners of the room. The merchant stood quickly, meaning to fetch his horse and be on his way before making any more of a disturbance, when he noticed a light flickering at the far end of the hall.

"Is someone there?" He called. Leaping towards the light, the unseen candle holder moved swiftly onwards. Through one door then another, until the merchant found himself climbing a long staircase.

At the top, he could see a new light set in a small candle holder in one of the nearby rooms. Within, a bed had been prepared, with night clothes, wash cloth and basin and even a book on the bedside table.

The merchant looked towards the staircase, but whoever he had followed was now gone. Tired and confused, he stepped into the room and settled himself for the night.

The next morning saw the merchant waking up to a wash basin brimming with fresh, hot water, new clothes laid out on the chair beside his bed and new slippers for him to step into.

Astonished, he dressed and went downstairs, where he found last night's dinner table now filled with a feast for breakfast. He fell upon the food and ate his fill, pausing between dishes to call out his thanks to the unseen host.

When his hunger was sated, the merchant looked out of the window and saw the sun rising high. Outside the stable, his horse stood groomed, fed and ready for travel once more.

Calling one last thanks to his benefactor, the merchant settled himself in the saddle and turned towards the woods once more.

Before he reached the gate and unfamiliar scent reached him. He turned to see a large rose bush with roses of a gentle violet colour growing all over.

Remembering Beauty's one request, the merchant dismounted, walked over and plucked a fine rose from the bush, it looked a lovely specimen and he knew his son would love it.

The merchant turned to leave and came face to face with a monstrous visage.

The merchant could only manage a squeak of terror before he landed flat on his back. He looked up at a hideous beast, a female creature with a round, uncooked dough body covered in bristly hair. The hair on her head looked straggly and thinning and her skin was covered in pimply boils and grease.

She was a huge monster of a woman, with crooked teeth, an overlarge nose and fiercely burning eyes, her hands looked like they'd been loaned to her from a witch and when she spoke it sounded like a hideous snarling.

"What the hell are you doing?" She roared, hands curling into fists. "I give you food, I give you shelter, I even take care of your horse and this is how you repay me? By stealing from my garden?"

"B-b-but it w-w-was only one r-rose…"

"You think that absolves you? You think yourself innocent? Is that it?"

"N-n-no please, my beauty…my son wanted…it was the only thing he wanted from my trip."

The merchant began to explain his circumstances, the beast woman seeming more attentive whenever he mentioned his son.

When the story was ended the beast raised a hand. "Alright." She said. "I will allow you to go home, you may keep the rose. But in return you will send your son to live here in your stead. If he does not come, I will find you and drag you alive or dead to my dungeons. If your son comes of his own free will, I will see to it that no harm comes to him."

The merchant was horrified, but he could see no way out. If he were killed none of his children would survive. At the same time, he hated the thought of leaving his son to this creature's mercy.

Seeing no way out, he agreed and left on his horse. The forest seemed to open up for him and he quickly found the path that led home, but his heart was heavy and he rode slowly.

When he did arrive home, his daughters waved from the windows of the house and started to descend the stairs, but Beauty was already out the door and running to their father with a relieved smile that he'd come home safe.

Seeing his father's face, Beauty immediately needed to know what had happened, the merchant gave a heavy sigh, led his children back inside and explained everything that had happened.

Beauty's sisters wailed and shrieked their outrage, stating flat out that their brother would not be going anywhere to be the prisoner of some monstrous ogre. They threatened to call the watch, the local witch and even the king, but Beauty remained thoughtfully silent.

"If I'm not there, father will be dragged we have help or not." Beauty said quietly. "I'll go with father tomorrow to the beast's castle. That way, we can all be safe."

His sisters begged him the entire night not to go, his father wept and wouldn't look at him. But Beauty was adamant and the next day he and his father set out for the beast's palace.

The forest loomed menacingly, but revealed the path to the beast's home easily enough. When they arrived the stable was prepared as before, the gates open and a feast laid out on the table.

The merchant and his son had little appetite, but they settled the horses and sat down to their last meal together.

As the afternoon drew on, they heard a whinny from outside. There stood the merchant's horse, tacked up and ready to leave as before. Taking the hint, the merchant embraced his son tightly before he took his leave, cursing the loss of his child.

Beauty looked around at his new home, which was huge and seemed to twist and turn more than a hedge maze.

He got the feeling that someone watched him wherever he went, but every time he turned round there was no one there.

"I should like to have a bath," Beauty announced to the air. "In private if you please. It's been a long journey and I'm not feeling very clean."

As if by magic, a light flickered on in a room to his right, he peered in and saw a beautiful bathroom with a filled, steaming tub waiting for him.

Beauty went inside and closed the door. After a few minutes he locked it, then got a washcloth and stuffed it in the keyhole as well.

After his bath, Beauty wandered a little more until he spotted a large bedroom. "Am I to sleep with someone I haven't even met yet?" He called, curious despite himself.

He thought he heard a sigh, then the hallway was suddenly much quieter than it had been before. He was relieved despite himself.

Settling under the covers, Beauty went to blow out the candle, when he saw a book on his bedside table. Curious, he picked it up and peered at the first few pages.

An hour later, the candle needed to be replaced and the shadows had deepened.

The next day, Beauty was determined to meet his host. He would be damned if he were to stay here virtually alone.

"I've had a hot night." He declared. "I seem to require a bath again, before breakfast would be best."

He waited a second or two, then padded out of his bedroom and down the hall.

He peered into the bathroom and saw the steam rising from the water, satisfied his plan would work; he raced to the stairs and tiptoed as fast as he possibly could down them.

Easing himself along the wall, he peered round the dining hall's door, there was the breakfast table, half filled with plates and dishes waiting to be filled with food.

He looked up as the far door darkened and a large shape came through holding a platter in each hand.

The beast was huge, it was ugly and it was muttering to itself.

Beauty was afraid for a while, until he realised the beast was muttering the order of service to herself. She was trying to mark what had been produced and what was yet to be made.

It was such a mundane thing to be concerned about from such an otherworldly source that Beauty couldn't help a small splutter of laughter. He covered his mouth with his hand but couldn't help the small sound.

The beast looked up, glaring from under bushy eyebrows. Her clothes seemed too small on some parts of her and too large on others, he could see her doughy flesh moving as she twisted sharply to see Beauty step self-consciously from the stairwell.

"I…I wanted to see…what was for breakfast." He stammered, determined to keep his manners despite his unusual situation.

The beast woman glared at him, the platters forgotten in her hands. She didn't say a word.

"Have you been preparing everything when I haven't been looking? You must be very light on your feet, I never heard you once."

The glaring continued. Beauty wondered whether he should say something more, when a deep rumbling voice issued from her lips. "I had to take dancing lessons when I was young. It taught me to walk with a soft tread."

Beauty blinked a little at the sudden mental image.

"You were going to take a bath?" The beast woman continued, still holding the platters.

"Oh yes, I'll just…I'll be back in a little while."

Beauty took his time in the bathroom, soaking himself as he considered what he had seen. The so called beast seemed to him to be an unfortunate woman. True she was the most unfortunate woman he'd ever seen, but perhaps something had happened to her in the past, he'd heard rumours of a lord whose child had been cursed, maybe this was it?

After drying himself, he dressed in the clothes that had been laid out and wandered back to the dining hall. There at one end of the table, was the beast. Another chair had been pulled out at the other end.

"It'll be pleasant to eat with someone." Beauty remarked, after swallowing back a gasp at yet another sight of the woman.

The beast glared at him, then jerked her chin towards the other chair before picking up her knife and fork.

Beauty sat and began on the food set out at his end of the table. He didn't try to initiate any more conversation and the beast didn't offer a word. She only chewed her food with surprising politeness and occasionally sat back to take a sip from her teacup.

Trying not to be obvious, Beauty watched his new companion as she ate. Everything she did would have looked very comely on a prettier maid, but on her it was….odd. Like watching a trained monkey perform a piece by Mozart on the piano. It was a completely unexpected behaviour.

"So you…you've lived here a long time?" He tried.

Another glare. Then, "Yes."

He waited, trying something. It paid off when the beast continued.

"Since I flowered, I was cursed with this misshapen body. We lived too close to a coven of witches. Three of them gave me the usual christening gifts; one was annoyed at being missed out and gave me the curse.

"Seeing what the evil witch had done, one of the good witches gifted me the forest, which would keep out anyone who wished me ill. The second gave me a mirror, which lets me see anyone I wish to see and the third gave me a ring, to allow me to visit anyone in a moment."

"Even if they were a thousand leagues away?"

"Even if they were on the moon."

Beauty couldn't help smiling, impressed, but he quickly looked down again when the beast looked aside, embarrassed at finding herself being almost social.

Not to be deterred, Beauty tried a new tactic. "Did you choose the book I read last night? I really enjoyed it."

The woman looked up in surprise, then shuffled a little self-consciously. "I wasn't sure what you might like, so I picked one of my favourites to see if you might like some of the others in my collection."

"You have more books? How many?"

"My parents let me take the library here with me; I was the only one who ever read most of the books anyway."

"Can we see it? I mean…after breakfast, if it's alright with you. May I please see your library? I never had the chance to read more than a few books from the local villages."

The beast seemed a little taken aback, but she shyly nodded agreement. The meal was quickly finished and beauty was led to a long corridor, which led to a set of double doors beyond which was a room the size of a church hall.

The library was clearly designed to be spacious and accommodating to all the comforts required by a book lover. Feather-soft cushions were laid near a large hearth, with plump chairs set at tables where a few fat leather bound tomes sat open at pages the beast had marked with scraps of paper.

Astonished, Beauty could only gaze in wonder for a while. "It's magnificent." He breathed.

"I spend most of my days here; I enjoy reading how others get to live, or how they must struggle to do so." The beast stepped towards one of the tables and began to gather a few of the books laid upon its lacquered surface.

Beauty looked upon the beast fully when she spoke; he noticed that she had a tendency to stroke certain books as if petting them. As soon as she spotted him looking she placed them hurriedly back onto the table.

Feeling as though he owed her an explanation for his staring, Beauty coughed and said; "Whenever I finish a book which made me feel, elated or profoundly moved, I can never help myself from giving them a little kiss before I have to put them back. I always feel as though I'm sending a dear friend home again after an enjoyable visit."

The beast peered at him from behind her mane of hair. "I always patted mine." She confessed. "Father always used to call my favourites 'The Paper Kittens' because of it."

Beauty grinned despite himself, the beast shyly smiled back from behind her lank tresses.

"So which ones are your favourites at the moment?" He asked. The entire morning was quickly eaten up by discussions about authors, genres and bindings. It was time for dinner before the pair had even realised how hungry they were.

"It's your first day away from your family," the beast muttered, seemingly shy again. "You should choose what we eat today."

Unsure what to ask for, Beauty led the way into the kitchen. As with the other rooms, it was spacious, and filled with every convenience he could imagine.

"The meat and cheeses are kept in the cold cupboard there." The beast said pointing. "There are fruits in the bowls on the table there and the casks in the corner hold wine."

Astonished at the choice behind each door and shelf, Beauty ended up asking the beast for explanations of half of the items he discovered. When she turned out to be quite knowledgeable, he started asking her how she'd cook some of the meat joints. Having grown up with two sisters who were aiming to be good wives one day, he had never learned to cook for himself, but he could see the passion rising in the beast woman as she explained how to blend different flavours.

Eventually, the two settled on a meal of duck cooked with oranges, a combination Beauty would never have discovered had he been left to choose for himself, but one he nevertheless found extremely satisfying.

As the afternoon crept on, Beauty asked to be shown around more of the castle. The beast woman seemed a little unsure but complied with his wishes. They wandered through sprawling rooms filled with old armour, long galleries hung with tapestries and portraits of his host's family and wandered through the gardens, where equipment for outdoor sports where waiting to be used.

Beauty was told how the magic of the castle kept everything neat as a new pin and the cupboards filled with food. He also learned that a few animals were kept alongside the gardens, but beast preferred to tend those herself when she could.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the company of geese, pigs, goats and an elderly carthorse who rubbed against the pair like a cat. It was such a pleasant day that Beauty almost forgot he was a captive here.

So it went for the next few days, each filled with enough entertainment that he could lose himself. When it rained, the beats woman sought to show some new aspect of the castle that might please Beauty and in doing so, revealed more of herself each day.

As more days passed, Beauty began to forget that he was living with a cursed being. He grew used to the fact that his female companion was both bigger and stronger than him, that her features were ill set and that her voice was more of a rumble than a ladylike whisper.

As he settled into his new life, so too did the beast. She forgot to hide herself behind glares and surly demeanours when she spoke about things she was passionate about, revealing softer sides and a mischievous sense of humour that surprised Beauty.

Each day passed until the snows came, the odd couple losing themselves in building snow people, tending the animals and warming themselves by the fire with their favourite book. Due to the cold, Beauty found himself preferring to stay close to the beast, enjoying the warmth and comfort of another human being, even though they stayed in separate bedrooms as before.

When winter finally passed, with blossoms beginning to appear on the trees, the two wandered amongst the forest edges. It was pleasant just to wander for a time in the sunshine, which had brought with it warm breezes and faraway scents.

One of these may have been responsible for Beauty's feelings of homesickness a short time later. Nothing seemed to please him anymore but the thought of being with his father and sisters.

Eventually, his dark mood was obvious to the beast woman, who had guessed what he wanted. She begged him not to leave as she was sure he wouldn't return, which would certainly break her heart beyond repair.

But Beauty could not pretend to be happy as he was, and begged for just one week to be with his family again, to ensure that all was well and then he would promptly return, the happier for his visit.

The beast tried to be firm, but Beauty's relentless requests wore her down.

"I will give you this this mirror and ring to take with you." She said. "Use the mirror and say my name to see me, wherever I am. When you want to go somewhere, put on the ring, turn it three times and state where you wish to be. Use it to return to me exactly one week from now. It'll be a Sunday, if Monday morning comes and you haven't returned, I'll know you've chosen to stay home."

Despite his eagerness to see his family again, Beauty was saddened by the thought that his friend should mistrust him so.

"I will return, when Sunday comes it will bear me along with it." He declared. After packing his possessions and some gifts for his family, he put on the ring as instructed, turned it three times and was suddenly in the parlour of his old home.

His family were astonished to say the least, his father wept with joy and raced off to find food and drink to celebrate his son's return; his sisters danced gaily around him and marvelled at the silks and finery he produced for them.

Everyone was filled with questions about Beauty's life with the beast they'd heard so much about. Was she as terrible as people said? Did she eat raw meat? Had she ran through the woods with a pack of wolves eating children?

Beauty found himself a little embarrassed at this line of questioning, but he answered as truthfully as he could until he could begin to relate a little of what he had been doing with his host.

The merchant wept all over again at the knowledge that his son had been cared for and happy, despite being so far from home. His sisters however grew more and more silent as Beauty described the beast.

Neither girl liked the thought of their handsome younger brother being in the thrall of such an ugly sounding creature, when they had done all they could to keep themselves presentable and to encourage Beauty to make the most of his delicate features, to hear how this monstrous woman flaunted her ugliness left them quite enraged on their sibling's behalf.

"We shouldn't let him return," Said one. "We should remind him of his life here with us and save him from himself."

"I agree." Said the other. "We will beg him to stay a little longer; we can easily drag that out to last as long as we need it to. If we can keep him here a day or two, why what is the problem with keeping him here a week? And so it shall go on till he is free of that monstrosity once and for all."

The two young women begged their brother not to return, telling him how they missed him, how their father had pined while he was away. The sisters were relentless, but Beauty stood firm, no matter how they cajoled or pleaded, he insisted that he would return when Sunday came.

Eventually, when Saturday came around, the sisters came to him one last time. "At least spend the morning with us." They wheedled. "Come out with us for one last family outing, we can make some fruit punch to take with us, and cakes and chicken and whatever else might take your fancy."

They were so eager and Beauty was so glad that they weren't asking him to stay again that he agreed. "But I must take my leave afterward." He insisted.

His sisters agreed heartily, so they and their father helped Beauty prepare a delicious picnic for the morrow, packing everything ready to take to the lakeside in their old pony cart.

During the night, Beauty half awoke to the sound of someone moving around, suspecting that it was his father on some late night errand; he rolled over and slept once again.

The next morning dawned bright and beautiful, everyone enjoyed the outing and the sisters insisted Beauty lead a toast with his favourite cup. All would have been well if he hadn't felt dizzy shortly after the meal.

The family returned home and Beauty, who was no better, was sent to bed where he fell into a swoon. When he awoke his sisters sat there with secret smiles.

"Goodness," said one. "And here you slept the whole day away! Why not stay a little longer now that Monday is well begun?"

With a gasp, Beauty snatched up the mirror and shouted the beast's name. There in the surface he saw a crumpled heap in the rose garden. The beast lay motionless on the floor, with a red pool growing beneath her.

Ignoring his sister's protests, Beauty leapt from his bed and donned the beast's ring; turning it three times he cried "The beast's side!" And was gone in a twinkling.

It took him a while to bandage her arms where the blade had bitten; it took him longer to get her into the castle proper and onto one of the low couches where he could tend to her. Eventually the beast came around and peered up at Beauty's concerned face.

"You didn't return." She said.

"My sisters played a cruel joke; they thought they were saving me."

"I thought that you'd chosen to stay away."

"Never."

"You might yet."

"Never ever, I will stay by your side, forever if needs be. All I ask is that you don't leave my side again, I fear I should lose you otherwise."

"You fear my loss that much?"

"I do, I'm afraid I have fallen in love with you my friend." And so saying, he placed a fresh rose into the small vase he'd placed on a nearby table.

The days passed quickly, the beast growing stronger with each one. Beauty waited till she was quite well before asking why she had not changed in appearance when he announced his affections for her.

"I'm afraid I was a little misleading," she sheepishly answered. "I was never cursed, it's true the castle was enchanted, and I was gifted with enchantments, but I was born with these looks. Mother tells me some of the females in my family share the same traits."

Beauty had laughed at her vanity then, kissed her and told her he should like to meet these women someday. And so he did, when the two families were united once and for all.


End file.
